TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman is the latest Tampa Bay star to hit a career milestone. He passed the 700-point mark in the last game before the All-Star break, becoming just the 28th defenseman in NHL history to do so.
"That’s a lot for anybody, let alone a defenseman," said head coach Jon Cooper. "To think [Steven Stamkos] not too long ago hit [1,000 points]. For those two guys to come in a year apart and kinda keep this train rolling all those years, it’s been fun to be a part of."
The Lightning took Hedman with the second overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, and he's never worn another sweater since.
"It’s special. To do it in one spot, same team, same organization means a lot," Hedman said in the locker room. "We’re getting older in age, but hopefully I’m not done."
"Victor’s such a great guy and just as good of a hockey player. To see that is awesome," added Lightning forward Nick Paul. "You know, he’s an unbelievable defenseman. He’s a leader in this room and a big part of our team. It was awesome to see that."
Hedman won the Hardest Shot Competition at All-Star Weekend 2022. While competing against the best of the best is fun, the 33-year-old doesn't mind a little extra rest for himself and his teammates.
"It’s huge. Now it gives time for guys who haven’t been in the lineup lately, been out with different injuries, to have even more time to get back into game shape," he explained. "It’s a big confidence boost for us. But we want to keep this train going. So we just gotta make sure that we’re ready to go when we come back."
Hedman will watch teammate Nikita Kucherov take part in the Skills Competition Friday night at Scotiabank Arena in the host city of Toronto. The All-Star game gets underway Saturday at 3:00 on ABC.
Tampa Bay resumes the regular season when they travel to New York to face the Rangers on Wednesday night.
